In the art, there exists a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) that is fully specified by standards organizations, including 3GPP, 3GPP2, and the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). MMS is an evolution of the Short Message System (SMS) and is designed to send and receive multimedia messages such as graphics or pictures, video, audio, etc. However, implementation of the MMS is a slow process due to factors such as providing universal mobile device support and universal network interoperability. It is estimated that it will take several years before MMS technology is ubiquitous.
As an alternative to MMS, and primarily implemented at the time in Asian countries, Voice SMS is an emerging technology and is based on technology similar to that of SMS text messaging. In Voice SMS, a user records a voice message with a service, and an SMS text message is sent by the service to an intended recipient of the recorded message indicating that they have received a Voice SMS from the user. The notification to the intended recipient may also include a phone number to call in which to retrieve the voice message.
Since SMS text messaging is provided for most mobile devices, there are no mobile device configuration or interoperability problems with Voice SMS as are associated with MMS.
However, there may be instances where it is desirable to forward the multimedia message, such as a voice message, to a mobile device in a format that is compatible with the mobile device.
Further, it may be desirable to convert the multimedia message, for example, using a speech-to-text conversion program, and provide the contents of the multimedia message to the recipient in a text message format. This latter example may be useful for situations such as when the system determines that the intended recipient may be deaf, or when the intended recipient indicates to the system that they are in an environment where retrieving voice messages is not possible, such as in a meeting.
Also, it may be desirable in situations when a text message is being sent from a user to a recipient for the text message to be converted to a voice message, for example, when the system determines that the intended recipient may have sight problems.